Naas Bank Holiday Racing

Some decent action this bank holiday Monday i've had a look at some of the contests over at Naas in Ireland where we see the return of one last year's superstars in Minding for Aiden O'Brien.

I'll start off with the Minding race which is the 3.55 Group 2 Mooresbridge Stakes. Minding obviously heads affairs here at the fairly prohibited odds of 4/11, and that's because she hasn't really got all that to beat. Moonlight Magic is a decent horse for Jim Bolger, he was sixth in the Champion Stakes back in September but was behind Minding that day and looks held. Johannes Vermeer is a Group 1 winner but only raced once last season and was beaten in a Group 3 contest at Newmarket back in October. Brendan Brackan is a tough sort who won the Irish Cambridgeshire here back in March when beating 16 rivals however this looks a much stiffer contest. Finally Jaqen H'gar makes up the field with the considerably lowest rating having finishing 12th out of 12 in handicap company last time out. I know that quite a lot of the time AP O'Brien's big guns get turned over first time out and come on for the run, but Minding should really be winning this shouldn't she taking all the above into consideration. I was very happy when they decided to keep her in training unlike many of the big flat stars and i'm very much hoping we see a good showing from her here in a contest she shouldn't really have much issues with winning.

Another decent race at Naas this Monday is the Group 3 Athasi Stakes. It's a Dermot Weld horse that heads affairs here in Rose De Pierre, she's won four of her last six starts including a listed contest last time out at Leopardstown. She certainly shapes as though she's up for a crack at a Group 3. However Rehana for Mick Halford will be a big danger on this ground, she was third last time out in a Group 3 and has had a couple of decent efforts in Group 2 and Group 1 company. I certanily think that she is the one to beat here on that form and will serve it up the favourite. Mick Channon has a decent strike rate when sending horses over here in the summer so on that we can't fully rule out Summer Icon despite her looking up against it. Rehana the one to beat for me here though

The 5.05 Tetrarch Stakes is a Listed Contest and another intriguing one with AP O'Brien's Peace Envoy heading affairs. He's the top rated out of these on juvenile form with some very decent form to his name last season including a Group 3 victory at the Curragh and several places in Group 1 & 2 company. However as stated earlier a lot this stable's runners need the run first time out and the one that take's my eye here is Son Of Rest. He was thrown right into the thick of it last September when fourth in a Group 1 at the Curragh of the back of his debut second and went on to smash his rivals in Maiden on his reappearance at the beginning of this month. You could say he's been thrown into it again a little bit here but he's certainly one to take seriously after that Maiden romp and looks progressive enough to go close here.